Monday, June 29, 2015

Simply Ancient Grains by Maria Speck

The award-winning author of Ancient Grains forModern Meals, Maria Speck makes cooking with ancient grains faster, more
intuitive, and easier than ever before in this collection of recipes, most of
which are gluten-free.
From black rice to red quinoa to golden Kamut berries, ancient grains are
showing up on restaurant menus and store shelves in abundance. Yet in home
kitchens, many fear that whole grains are too difficult and time-consuming to
prepare. In SimplyAncient Grains, Maria makes cooking with these
fascinating and nourishing staples easy and accessible with sumptuous recipes
for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and dessert. Her family-friendly dishes are
Mediterranean-inspired and delicious, such as Spicy Honey and Habanero Shrimp
with Cherry Couscous; Farro Salad with Roasted Eggplant, Caramelized Onion, and
Pine Nuts; and Red Rice Shakshuka with Feta Cheese. Maria’s tips and simplified
approach take whole grain cooking to the next level by amplifying the flavor
and enduring beauty of these nutritious grains.

My
Thoughts:

For the
last year or so I have been trying to cook healthier. I have been interested in
trying out a variety of ancient grains. Its so hard trying to eat healthy in such a fast paced world.

This is
a hardback book with 261 pages. There is a nice variety of full color photos of
many of the dishes. I would of loved a picture personally of every dish but,
that is just me as I love being able to see photos in cookbooks.

I love
the layout in the introduction with the ancient grains from A-Z. I am not
gluten free but, have many friends who are not able to consume gluten. I really
appreciate this information being available in a grain cookbook.

This is
loaded with information from a cooking time table and also baking with the
grain. She explains the texture of each grain along with nice description of
the flavors.

The origins
of the grains and what it was used for originally I thought was extremely
interesting. Just having a cookbook that has a variation and suggestions for
substitutions for either making it gluten free or something that is more suited
for your taste is unique in a cookbook. Most of the grains are suited for
vegetarians. Some of the recipes have suggestions on adding meat to the recipes.

There is something for all meals from Breakfast to satisfying your sweet tooth.

The
contents are as follows:

Introduction

Ancient
Grains 101

Breakfast

Slow
Morning

Salads
and Sides

Soups
and Stews

Pasta

Simply
Mains

Simple
and Sweet

Include is
some helpful information on Ingredients and Techniques, Sources, Bibliography,
and an Index.

I have
tried out a few recipes already and I am pleased with the ones I have tried. I haven’t
had any problem finding any of the grains at my local health food store either.
For those that I am not able to find locally I can easily find online.

This has
been a delightful experience and I have enjoyed exploring with Simply Ancient
Grains.

Disclaimer:
I was provided a copy of this book from Blogging for Books- Waterbrook for free
in order to write this review. All thoughts and opinions are

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About Me

I'm a sweet tea addicted mamma who loves to cuddle up to a good book. I enjoy gardening and playing with my kids. I write about homeschooling, having a special needs child, and about whatever else tickles my fancy. I love the Lord with all my heart!

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